Honduras Politics News

Ana Paola Hall and Cossette López, councillors of Honduras's National Electoral Council, have requested a one-year leave beginning July 1, requiring Congress to appoint temporary replacements from a previous pool of vetted candidates.

Honduras's Supreme Court voided Memorandum 02/2026 on gender identity, which had been issued earlier in 2026.

Congress passed reforms to the domestic-violence law that will bar anyone convicted of domestic violence from obtaining a driver's license, purchasing or possessing firearms, or holding public office.

A legislative commission convened mining officials and environmental agencies to discuss attracting investment in responsible mining and streamlining approval processes, with the Natural Resources Ministry citing 2.647 billion lempiras in recent mining investment and approximately 2,000 jobs.

Lawsuits filed by former municipal employees have resulted in garnishments exceeding 950 million lempiras against 13 municipalities in Olancho, Choluteca, and surrounding departments, freezing 40% or more of central government transfers to affected towns; a Liberal congressman is among the lawyers bringing cases.

Financial crimes and customs authorities are inspecting La Ceiba's coastal port following complaints of alleged irregularities in rental contracts.

The National Congress has failed to respond to transparency requests for information on institutional advertising spending, deputy travel allowances, and legislative social programs, violating the 10-business-day legal deadline.

Two days after approving the Agroindustrial Protection Law, Congress modified it outside normal legislative procedure to extend tax and permitting benefits to energy and tourism sectors, a move critics say violates parliamentary rules and threatens indigenous and Garífuna lands.

Honduras's National Congress announced agreements to return about 30 seized VIP taxis, suspend penalties from transport authorities, and establish a regulatory framework allowing VIP and digital-platform cabs to operate alongside traditional taxis, ending a conflict that had threatened further protests.

Congress on June 4 passed a law declaring agribusiness lands exempt from expropriation and land-reform programs, and ordering police to act immediately against occupations or protests, while peasant groups say it criminalizes rural organizing in the conflict-torn Bajo Aguán region where 20 people were killed on May 21.

A June 2026 survey by Data Veritas and Radio Cadena Voces found that 64.1% of Hondurans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with corruption named as the leading national problem, while 74.6% disapprove of President Asfura's administration.

The union representing ENEE employees opposes splitting the state utility into three private companies and proposes instead an internal reorganization by distribution, operation, transmission, and generation aimed at reducing losses while keeping the utility public.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider Memorandum 02-2026, which requires judges to record defendants' self-identified gender and chosen names in criminal proceedings, saying the judicial directive has sparked strong opposition from religious groups and pro-life advocates.

Congresswoman Dunia Jiménez (Libre, Cortés) has proposed exempting mortgages and small-business loans from Honduras's Tasa de Seguridad Poblacional, a fee she says raises borrowing costs and blocks access to credit for entrepreneurs and homebuyers.

A decree proposal would gradually increase annual budget allocation to Andepcih, the national association for blind Hondurans, to 2 million lempiras (roughly $80,000) by 2027 and maintain it permanently thereafter.

Honduras's Supreme Court president Wagner Vallecillo Paredes delivered a proposed law on the Judicial Council and judicial careers to Congress's Constitutional Affairs Commission, unanimously approved by the court's full bench and representing input from judges and court employees.

The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) reported that over L113 million (approximately $4.5 million USD) in state funds were transferred to a nonprofit during the previous administration through contracts that allegedly bypassed public-bidding requirements, with 90% of the agreements operating outside legal frameworks.

Congressman Frank Alley introduced a proposal to amend consumer-protection law requiring landlords, vehicle-rental companies, and private schools to charge in lempiras rather than dollars, arguing that these sectors do not require foreign-currency operations and that dollar pricing inflates costs for consumers.

The Asfura administration and the Inter-American Development Bank agreed to establish a technical working group to pilot an AI platform designed to identify regulatory duplications, excessive procedures, and inefficiencies across Honduran public institutions.

The Honduran business chamber (CIMEQH) called for a halt to a proposed electric-sector reform, citing risks that the legislation could drive up utility rates and lead to privatization of public power assets.

VIP taxi and ride-hailing drivers in Honduras suspect that transport official Blas Ramos, the governor of Francisco Morazán, is orchestrating a crackdown that has seized about 40 vehicles since early June, leaving drivers unable to work and facing fines of L11,000–L14,000 (roughly $440–$560) plus six months of impound fees.

Honduras's Public Ministry is investigating whether campaign funds from former Liberal presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla were illegally diverted to foreign accounts, allegations Nasralla denies as political persecution.

A congresswoman from Colón has introduced legislation to create a regional office of the State Secretariat for Human Rights in the department, aiming to provide closer access to human-rights services and strengthen protections for the local population.

Taxi-stand operators announced an end to nationwide protests and agreed to work with Congress on a digital platform and regulatory reforms, with lawmakers pledging dialogue on licensing and competition from illegal services.

Military leaders from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic convene June 9–12 in Roatán to coordinate on regional security challenges, transnational threats, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations.

A lawmaker from the Libre party introduced a bill to establish a national registry of people convicted of sexual crimes, to be administered by the Supreme Court and accessible publicly to help prevent re-offending and protect vulnerable populations.

Honduras's transport authority has seized 31 vehicles operating for Uber, InDriver, and VIP taxi services since February, citing lack of permits, while the ride-hailing platforms are scheduled to meet with Congress on June 10 to discuss regulatory frameworks.

Congress is moving toward approving a structural reform that would divide the state-owned ENEE into three separate commercial entities for generation, transmission, and distribution, with energy experts warning the changes open a path to privatization and could weaken the utility's financial stability.

The National Congress approved expanding a law that shields agroindustrial lands and investments to also cover energy and tourism projects, while adding a clause affirming the law's compatibility with indigenous peoples' right to free, prior consultation on communal lands.

Honduras, where a woman is killed every 32 hours, has approved sweeping Penal Code reforms raising femicide sentences to as high as 60 years and mandating specialized courts to handle gender-violence cases.